Why User Generated Content Matters

Think back to your last online purchase: you viewed a product page, saw the price, read the manufacturer’s description, paged through some photos, and of course, read some reviews. In comparing two similarly-priced products, would you buy the one with no consumer reviews, or 50?

Humans are social creatures – we thrive alongside each other and base decisions in part in opinions, testimonials, and recommendations. Way back when, word-of-mouth marketing dominated the decision-making process. Today digital advertising plays an enormous role in inciting action, but there’s still nothing more persuasive or organic than word-of-mouth marketing.

So, why should your organization embrace user-generated content?

1. UGC is a way to social-proof your cause

In the travel industry, sites like TripAdvisor and Yelp are critical for large and small business success. How many times have you seen messaging in a hotel about leaving a positive review online? Turns out they’re more important than you may have thought. According to a 2010 study, online reviews made “a significant impact on online sales, with a 10 percent increase in traveler review ratings boosting online bookings by more than five percent.”

According to a 2015 report, 68% of U.S. adults own and use a smartphone – up from 35% in 2011. Tools like Facebook Live, Snapchat, and Periscope have fundamentally changed how we communicate with one another – especially in the context of video. Taking a selfie, sending a video message, and communicating visually is commonplace: of the over 630,720,000 hours of video uploaded to YouTube, only 17% are brand-created.

3. Repurposing UGC makes future marketing way easier

Planning email and social media campaigns can be a bit of a chore, but it doesn’t have to be! Adding user-generated videos from your audience makes it dead simple. Check out work from one of our clients – No Labels:

Given how well videos rank in Facebook’s algorithm, posting content directly from your audience is an easy way to boost engagement and increase your chances of virality.